Modern janta darbar: Mumbaikars, you can connect with traffic top cop today

Together We Can, an NGO, is launching a first-of-its-kind initiative to help citizens directly approach senior government officials with their grievances, through janta darbars on the Internet

There’s good news for Mumbaikars, who will soon be able to share their grievances directly with top government officials. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the NGO, Together We Can, will connect the officials to the common man through platforms such as Twitter, Skype, and even text messages.

Officials can pick a time and date when they will be available to answer queries from citizens, in a janta darbar of sorts. The first of the series will feature Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Dr Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay in an hour-long session today.

Indrani Malkani, a trustee of Together We Can, said, “We are initiating this project because many people wish to meet officials to express their grievances, but are unable to do so due to time constraints or because there is very little information about how to approach these officials. Since traffic is a major issue in the city, we have decided to start with the Traffic Commissioner.”

Today, at 4 pm, citizens with questions or complaints about traffic can contact Upadhyay, choosing to chat with him, or simply leave a message. “You don’t need to be physically present to ask the questions,” explained Malkani.

Motorists are already excited at the prospect of finally finding a listening ear for their complaints. Jasbir Rawat, a resident of Kandivli, said, “I regularly commute between Kandivli and Vashi by road, and face many problems on my way. I have made complaints time to time, but it has all been in vain. Nobody bothers to listen seriously. But now, I will try to contact the commissioner and I hope to get some answers.”

Upadhyay, who will be on the hot seat today, seemed equally interested in the project.“This is a very good initiative, and I am very excited for it to go live. I can connect to common people and motorists with genuine problems. The most important thing about this initiative is that I can listen to their problems without any hindrance. I will try to give solutions immediately, or whenever possible,” he said.